A few other young noblemen approached. One of them, who appeared to be the youngest, about fourteen or fifteen years old, walked up to Chen Qi, rested his elbow on Chen Qi’s shoulder, and looked at You Yuji with a smile, saying, “Now, we should call you Fourth Sister-in-law.”
With this reminder, Chen Qi finally shifted his gaze from You Yuji.
“Greetings, Prince Lian, Prince Yi,” You Yuji politely greeted the two other princes.
Chen Qi and Chen Yinian were the legitimate sons of Prince Pinghuai and Prince Shengxiang respectively. These two were also among the candidates chosen by the late Empress Dowager for You Yuji to select from.
As for the youngest, Chen Lian, he was the legitimate second son of the current Crown Prince.
Behind the three princes stood two other young noblemen whom You Yuji did not recognize.
“Having some free time today, we came to find Fourth Brother for a game of chess and a drink. We didn’t expect to meet Fourth Sister-in-law here. We won’t disturb your enjoyment of the plum blossoms and will head further ahead,” said Chen Lian.
You Yuji exchanged a few polite words and then stepped aside, watching the young princes leave. She gazed at their departing figures, lost in thought.
Despite the long-established heir apparent, the court was full of undercurrents. Unlike Prince Jinnan who distanced himself from the court, Prince Pinghuai and Prince Shengxiang both seemed interested in the throne. After the Emperor passes, it is uncertain whether the Crown Prince will ascend the throne. Among these young princes, it is hard to say who might rise to power in the future.
“Regretting it?”
You Yuji started and turned to look at Si Que. She did not answer immediately, instead, she looked at a red plum blossom on a branch and fell into contemplation.
She remembered the wedding night with the solitary burning wedding candles. She always tried to avoid recalling that day. In fact, she didn’t want to think about Chen Anzhi at all.
Si Que looked at her through the white gauze and saw her silence. He took a step towards her and asked again, “Sister, you must regret it, right? If you had chosen Prince Qi or Prince Yi, you might be living a life of conjugal bliss with your ideal husband.”
The gentle breeze blew the white gauze, and in Si Que’s view, You Yuji slowly blossomed into a radiant smile.
“Marrying elsewhere might also bring other troubles, perhaps even worse outcomes. The path I chose is nothing to regret.” You Yuji slowly blinked her left eye at Si Que, taking his hand with a joyful tone, teasing him intentionally, “Besides, if I had married elsewhere, I wouldn’t have met you, Que Que.”
Si Que pursed his lips, still seeing her recent charming blink in his mind.
You Yuji gave a light “ah,” furrowed her brows, and asked, “Que Que, why are your hands so cold?”
“Are you cold? Shall we go back?” You Yuji held Si Que’s hand in both of hers, blowing gently on it.
Warmth slowly seeped into Si Que’s body through his fingertips, along with her faint scent, invading his senses.
“I’m not cold,” Si Que smiled slowly, “Sister, would you like to hear me play the qin?”
“Yes, please,” You Yuji replied immediately. She couldn’t quite explain it, but she always felt as if Si Que’s words were meant to play the qin just for her. This thought surprised her.
Everyone knew that Princess Que’s music was a rare treasure, and she never played for others. Hearing her music was already a blessing.
Soon, Liufeng brought Si Que’s qin over.
You Yuji sat down next to Si Que, guessing in her mind which piece Si Que might play. Many tunes came to her mind.
Si Que’s long fingers rested on the qin strings for a moment before the first note flowed from his slender fingers.
Upon hearing the first phrase, You Yuji knew this was an impromptu piece composed by Si Que.
As Si Que’s music filled the air, You Yuji closed her eyes, her gaze drifting past the nearby red plum blossoms and far into the distance. She seemed to see scenes flashing by, moving swiftly past the cold winter to the warmth of spring, the soft light shimmering on the babbling brook, and far beyond, an endless expanse of lush grass. She seemed to hear distant laughter, faint and gentle through the beaded curtain, yet brimming with joy.
A cool breeze blew, and You Yuji tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
In Si Que’s impromptu piece, You Yuji felt as though she had returned to her homeland, the sky a brilliant blue and the green grass stretching to the horizon, dancing joyfully between heaven and earth.
She recognized that the distant laughter behind the beaded curtain was her own.
But this was Chenjing; she could no longer dance freely as she once did in her hometown. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but lower her eyes, a hint of melancholy in her gaze. In the past, she didn’t understand what it meant to long for one’s homeland. Now that she understood, she could never return.
Si Que glanced at her and changed the tune, adding a touch of joy for her.
In a nearby flower pavilion, the wine cup in Chen Anzhi’s hand fell. He stood up in a daze, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the music.
Chen Lian laughed heartily and said, “Fourth Brother, she is already at your residence. You have achieved your wish.”
Chen Yinian also smiled and said, “Fourth Brother dared to ask for her when the Emperor was furious for the sake of Princess Que. Such deep affection is truly touching. No wonder Princess Que was moved by you.”
Chen Anzhi didn’t say a word. He looked in the direction of the music, his expression dazed. After a moment, he suddenly smiled happily and said, “Listen, the tune in her music is joyous!”
Chen Yinian and Chen Lian exchanged glances, shaking their heads in silence.
The other young noblemen chimed in with a few words of agreement.
Only Chen Qi remained silent, drinking alone.
Chen Yinian teased Chen Qi with a smile, “Look at Third Brother, so sullen, just like Fourth Brother was when he used to long for Princess Que every day.”
Chen Lian lightly coughed.
Chen Yinian paused, realizing his slip of the tongue, quickly poured himself a cup of wine, and said, “I’ve had too much to drink and spoke nonsense. I’ll punish myself with a drink.”
Chen Anzhi frowned and looked at Chen Qi.
In the past, he had also teased Chen Qi with the other princes, laughing at him for being bewitched by a seductress.
That seductress was none other than You Yuji.
Fate played its tricks; the fox spirit who had enchanted Third Brother became his wife. The more Chen Anzhi thought about it, the more it irked him. He cursed You Yuji for being unfaithful, not knowing how many men she had entangled with.
—
You Yuji and Si Que returned to Yunxiao Courtyard, where Si Que was seized by a fit of coughing. You Yuji quickly pulled him to sit on the couch, placing her hand on his forehead and feeling a slight fever.
“You have a bit of a fever. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have dragged you out to admire the plum blossoms,” You Yuji said, her brows furrowing with guilt.
“It’s nothing, my health is always like this, fluctuating. It has nothing to do with you, Sister.” Si Que took out a small black porcelain bottle, poured a white pill into his palm, and slowly chewed it, seemingly unbothered by the bitterness.
You Yuji quickly walked to the side and poured a cup of water, offering it to him.
“You can’t always be like this. How about we call a royal physician to properly examine you?” You Yuji suggested softly.
Si Que took the water You Yuji handed him but didn’t drink it. He set it aside and said, “Sister, have you heard the saying that I won’t live past twenty?”
You Yuji had vaguely heard this saying before. Back then, she wasn’t familiar with Si Que and didn’t pay much attention to rumors. But now, seeing Si Que’s pale face, she felt uneasy.
“You will get better,” You Yuji said, holding Si Que’s hand and repeating gently, “You will get better.”
Si Que looked at his hand lightly held by You Yuji and remained silent.
That evening, after Si Que bathed in milk as usual, he stood before the bronze mirror, his long fingers touching the spot where his Adam’s apple should have been.
He had no Adam’s apple.
It had been years, but Si Que still remembered the piercing pain of the silver needles and the suffocating pressure.
“It has been wrong for so many years, this colossal lie can only continue.”
Before losing consciousness, he heard his mother’s choked voice.
Until that day, he had believed everything told to him by those around him.
As a twin, he was born frail and sickly, with a weak destiny, necessitating the nurturing of a daughter’s body. He took his medicine diligently, lived earnestly, learned everything he could, and strove to become excellent, living like any other prodigy cursed by the heavens.
But it was all a joke.
Si Que looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror and smiled faintly.
All that was loved, believed, respected, and admired, destroyed in an instant.
A joke?
Since his existence was already a joke, he could only treat everything in the world as a joke.
Si Que turned his head and coughed lightly again, faintly tinged with blood.
Expressionless, he pulled the stopper from the small porcelain bottle and took another pill.
—
That night, You Yuji slept fitfully, vaguely feeling some noise disturbing her. The next morning, Baohe told her there was a ghost disturbance in Cuiyu’s Courtyard last night.
“A ghost disturbance?” You Yuji, who was drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror, raised her brows in surprise.
“Yes!” Baohe nodded emphatically, “There was a huge commotion last night. Yiniang Cuiyu ran out of her room crying. No, she practically crawled out. She was crying, saying she saw a hanging ghost, scared half to death.”
You Yuji responded with a sound and continued drawing her eyebrows.
She didn’t really believe in ghosts and spirits.
You Yuji finished drawing one eyebrow and started on the other. As she worked, her mind lingered on Cuiyu’s situation. Although she didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits, many others did. Such a ghostly disturbance, though minor, could have unpredictable consequences.
This morning, only Chunxing came to pay her respects. Lin Yingying had not yet returned from visiting her family, and Cuiyu seemed deeply frightened from the previous night, with her maid reporting that she couldn’t come.
After Chunxing left, You Yuji sent Zhenxu to check on Cuiyu, to see how she was faring and if she needed anything.
That afternoon, another incident occurred in the household.
As Prince Jinnan was returning home, the carriage’s axle suddenly loosened while crossing the stone arch bridge, nearly causing the carriage to fall into the river. Although the quick-thinking servants prevented it from tumbling, the incident left Prince Jinnan shaken.
When You Yuji heard about this, she furrowed her brows, hoping no one would connect this with the ghostly disturbance from the night before. Cuiyu was merely a concubine of dubious background; any rumors could have severe consequences for her.
Two days passed peacefully, but then another incident happened in the Jinnan Prince’s Mansion—
Chen Anzhi fell from his horse while playing polo, injuring his leg. Although it wasn’t broken, a stone cut a long gash, causing his entire calf to swell.
“The crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony is soon, and so many things have happened recently,” Baohe remarked.
Zhenxu glanced at her and whispered, “Don’t discuss these matters.”
You Yuji sipped the sweet wine that Si Que had sent over, aware that many things had been happening in the mansion lately, with everyone talking about them. She was considering whether to consult the princess about these incidents when, early the next morning, a Taoist priest arrived at the mansion to exorcise ghosts.
The household had been instructed to stay in their rooms and not go out.
The priest worked for half a day, and the whole Jinnan Prince’s Mansion was filled with the strange smell of burning paper.
You Yuji held a vase of red plums by the window, trying to dispel the smell of burnt paper drifting in from outside. She was about to ask Baohe to take another vase of hand-arranged red plums to Yunxiao Courtyard when Gu Momo, the princess’s attendant, came to summon her.
You Yuji, accompanied by Zhenxu, went to see the princess and learned the priest’s conclusion after his half-day’s work.
Chen Anzhi had been harassed by a small ghost recently, and with his birthday approaching, the ghost had become more malevolent, disturbing the entire Jinnan Prince’s Mansion. The solution required all of Chen Anzhi’s wives and concubines to hand-copy a Buddhist scripture and personally burn it at a Buddhist temple.
You Yuji didn’t believe in ghosts or Buddhism, but the princess said, “It’s better to believe in it than not.”
Two days later, all of Chen Anzhi’s wives and concubines, including Lin Yingying, who had been called back from her family’s home, boarded the carriage with their hand-copied Buddhist scriptures.
